audience under a shadow of a 42-point gap. it all looks really bad for the republicans right now. but not that bad. and not bad at all if likely democratic voters in the swing states just don't get to vote this year. . damage control. mitt romney tries to limit the fallout from critical remarks about the president's supporters. highway hazard. scary moments when a dallas pit stop turns into a treacherous hit and run. and battle royal. a french court takes up prince william and kate's criminal complaint over those topless photos. good morning everyone. i'm lynn berry. those stories and more are straight ahead. this is "first look" on msnbc.

we are going to begin this morning with the romney recording. a surp tishs video of mitt romney at a private fundraiser has gone public and remarks he thought would stay among those in the room. the gop presidential candidate is heard giving a snapshot of the electorate that is raising eyebrows. the recording was released to the ultraliberal magazine mother jones. here's a portion of it. we'll take care of them. how are you going to do it in two months before elections to convince everybody you got to take care of yourself? >> 47% of the people vote for the president no matter what. 47% who are with him, who are dependent upon government who believe that government has responsibility to care for them and believe they're entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you name it. it's entitlement.

that the government should give it to them. they will vote for this president no matter what. i mean, the president starts off with 48, 49 -- he starts out with a huge number. they paid no income tax. 47% of americans paid no income tax. our message doesn't connect. that's what they celebrate every four years. so my job is not to worry about those people. i'll never convince them they should take responsibility for themselves and their lives. what i have to do is convince 5 to 10% in the center that are independents, that are thoughtful, look at voting one way or another in some cases on emotion. whether they like the guy or not. >> late last night mr. romney reacted to the release of the recording, but he did not apologize for the remarks. >> it's not elegantly stated. let me put it that way. i'm speaking off the cuff in response to a question. i'm sure i could state it more

clearly in a more effective way than i did in a setting like that. >> the romney campaign also released this statement. saying mitt romney wants to help all americans struggling in the obama economy. as the governor has made clear all year, he is concerned about the growing number of people who are dependent on the federal government, including the record number of people who are on food stamps. nearly one in six americans in poverty and the 23 million americans who are struggling to find work. mitt romney's plan to create 2 -- 12 million new jobs in four years grows the economy and moves americans off government dependency and into jobs. meanwhile, the obama campaign issued a statement saying it's "hard to serve as americans when you've written off half the mission". ted strickland talked about the romney remarks last night.

he told host ed schultz, in his view, they show mitt romney's character. >> anyone who would talk about 47% of americans with the kind of disdain that he used with his words simply -- i mean, why does he want to be the president of america? how can he possibly pull us together if he at the get go has said that 47% of us are unworthy? >> ed, these are the most reprehensible, despicable, pathetic words i have heard come out of a candidate's mouth. i think this should disqualify him from ever being the president of our country. >> don't miss the ed show on msnbc. the place for politics. o outrage against the u.s. stretched into a second week in the muslim world as the powerful leader of hezbollah calls for protests against that anti-islam film to continue. nbc's tracie potts has the details.

she's in washington for us. tracie, good morning. >> lynn, good morning. now it's turned deadly in afghanistan. a suicide bombing there. at least nine people, foreign airport workers killed when a small sedan packed with explosives went off near a minibus carrying those workers near the airport in kabul. there's an insurgent group that claimed responsibility. they were angry over the video that has been blocked on you-tube in afghanistan. meantime, protests continue around the region and are being encouraged by the leader of hezbollah who encouraged hundreds of thousands of people to continue to marching in countries across the region. the u.s. is increasing security at a number of diplomatic posts. at least ten protesters died in a number of countries. finally, the investigation continues into the attack on benghazi. the u.s. and fbi cooperating. there's new video of libyans who apparently tried to rescue

ambassador chris stevens but was frustrated because there was no ambulances around or first aid. they took him in a private car. thanks so much. here's a look at other news going on around america today. in dallas, just frightening video here. it shows the moment when two women were struck by a hit and run driver who then drove an embankment to escape. the victims had pulled over on a highway off ramp because of a flat tire. police were responding to that call when the hit and run happened in front of them. the other driver remains on the loose. in georgia, an even more bizarre hit and run. someone plowed into a house in the middle of the night when two people were inside asleep. they didn't know it happened until they woke up and found a chunk of their house completely wiped out. in oregon, rescuers did a perfect job of saving a kitten. it was trapped beneath a basement in that drain pipe. it took firefighters and april

plumber six hours to free the little guy. finally, in our nation's capitol, the story that everyone has been talking about. it's taken a new twist. may shong, the female jiend panda gave birth to a cub. the only problem is no one has seen it yet. here's your homework assignment. the national zoo is asking you to keep an eye on the webcam. if you can catch a glimpse of it, they want you to get a screen grab and tweet it over to them. it should be the size of a stick of butter. mom needs to move over. for a look at your weather, let's turn to meteorologist dylan dryer. >> we are actually looking at some pretty strong storms to affect the coast. heavy rain spreading eastward. most of the lightning, we're getting reports of are near the panhandle of florida. that's where this storm system is originating. this area of low pressure drawing in tons of moisture from

the gulf of mexico. it is going to be a warm rain across the east coast as the moisture streams in in from the south. look at southeastern ohio across west virginia through west virginia as well and into the western carolinas. this is all moving eastward. as it continues to strengthen through the rest of the morning and into this afternoon, we are actually going to see the potential for a possible severe weather outbreak. right now, though, we're looking at a lot of the lightning across the panhandle of florida. this is all going to continue to move to the north and east. pretty slowly. and the heaviest of the rain is now trying to move into areas across new jersey, stretching back into west virginia too. this rain, again, is going to continue to stream in from the south with lightning possible along with wind gusts up to 40 to 50 miles per hour. this area in bright yellow here, that's an area we could get reports of wind damage and also the possibility for isolated tornadoes. we look for that into this

afternoon and evening as well. as we go through the rest of the night, we will start to see this push eastward. we will see some improvements as cooler air tries to work in through the rest of the week, lynn? >> dylan, thanks so much. manufacturing slips, apple shines and raising the stakes on a rare indulgence. your first look at this morning's business headlines is straight ahead. coming up, the orioles flex their muscle. an olympic gold medalist is arrested and peyton manning as you've never seen him before. you're watching "first look" on msnbc. [ female announcer ] you can make macaroni & cheese

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welcome back. i'm lynn berry. in afghanistan. the nato coalition ended joint military operations with afghan forces. so far this year, 51 international troops have been killed in what are killed insider attacks by afghan soldiers or insurgents wearing their uniforms.

a court hearing is scheduled tomorrow for mayor rahm emanuel's attempt to end the chicago teachers' strike. they plan to decide whether to end the strike based on a contract offer. in new york, more than 180 people were arrested during occupy wall street protests celebrating the movement's first anniversary. the demonstrators were trying to block streets in the financial district near the stock exchange. the los angeles times reports the boy scouts of america hit information about sex abuse cases for decades. the newspaper says the abuse was documented in secret files that 80% of the cases were not reported to law enforcement. and space shuttle endeavour is still in florida. its trip to los angeles has been delayed yet again. stormy weather along the gulf of mexico means the shuttle won't depart until tomorrow heading for its permanent home at the california science center. now here's time for your

first look at this morning's dish of scrambled politics. >> as the romney campaign scrambles to deal with that controversial video from a fundraiser. intel report the grandson of former president jimmy carter found the video and brought it to mother jones which broke the story. congress is briefly back in session this week before lawmakers head home to campaign for reelection. roll call reports their calendars are jam-packed this week with meals, visits and receptions with lobbyists. but all qualify as fundraisers. pundits believe libertarian candidate jonathan dooin may be a key factor. news reports that dine was convicted of marijuana possession but served less than a year in prison. ted olson, a former u.s. solicitor general under president george w. bush will serve as the debate practice

partner for paul ryan. massachusetts senator john kerry has been practicing with president obama for three debates next month. a new associated press poll finds 83% of the american people want some limits on the amount of money outside groups can contribute for political campaigns. nbc news reports those outside groups have accounted for almost half of all advertising spending this year. with three-quarters of it spent in support of mitt romney. finally, jay-z and beyonce will be hosting tonight's a-list fundraiser for president obama in new york city. 100 guests will be paying $40,000 each for the bash at jay-z's 4040 club. that's your morning dish of scrambled politics. and now here's your first look at how wall street kicks off the day. the dow closed at 13,553 after losing 40 points yesterday. the s&p was down 4, the das

nasdaq fell 5. overseas trading. the nikkei dipped 35 point and the hang seng lost 56. wall street gave up ground for the fifth monday in a row thanks to fresh signs of an economic slowdown. news that northeast manufacturing hit a 3.5 year low, set off investors jitters. this days after friday's news that august industrial production fell. the most in more than three years. after the bell, apple shares cruised past $700 for the very first time after announcing orders for the iphone 5 topped 2 million in their first 24 hours. that's more than double the amount of its predecessor. office depot was one of the biggest movers, rising 5% after an activist investment firm became their largest shareholder. elsewhere, federal regulators are looking into what caused oil prices to plunge more than $4 in a matter of minutes monday afternoon. just hours before a midnight strike deadline, the canadian

auto workers union reached a tentative deal with ford. the union extended contract negotiations with general motors and chrysler. according to the department of transportation, the percentage of on-time airline arrivals hit an 18-year high during the first half of the year. let the knife sharpening begin. now that it's back on the market, one manhattan meat mecca is offering a 12-ounce kobe steak for 350 bucks. doesn't really come with someone to cut it. although it should for that price. the o's set the tone early and the world's best snowboarder is not above the law. peyton manning has a rough first quarter. you're watching "first look" on msnbc. at shell, we believe the world needs a broader mix of energies. that's why we're supplying natural gas to generate cleaner electricity...

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[ male announcer ] introducing a reason...to look twice. introducing a stunning work of technology -- the entirely new lexus es. and the first-ever es hybrid. this is the pursuit of perfection. welcome back. i'm lynn berry. the falcons feasted on the broncos last nightcap talizing on a sloppy performance by peyton manning. here's fred rowing began. >> what a difference a week makes. yesterday it looked like he needed some work. going to atlanta. a terrible start for peyton. manning is picked by moore that led to an atlanta touchdown. the next drive, peyton threw it up and the falcons came down with it again. another interception, still in the first quarter. you don't think it can get

worse? think again. third drive, third interception for manning. the broncos dug a hole and couldn't recover. two touchdowns, no picks. ran out of late and the falcons won it 27-20. he is an olympic gold medalist, x games champ and a party animal. shaun white was arrested in nashville after trashing a hotel room and pulling a fire alarm following a drunken rage. he got this black eye while trying to flee the scene. arguably the best snowboarder and skater in the world. white was charged with public intoxication and vandalism. baseball, that sox fan has been waiting a long time to see this game. we'll pick it up in the fifth. detroit up one. a grounder to short. perfect double play ball or so it seemed. omar infante air mailed the toss to first. in came two and chicago grabbed the lead. white sox increased their lead with a 5-4 win. the orioles inch closer to the

yankees. the route was on. baltimore scored thee in the first, four in the second. they're just a half game back. the orioles are duking it out with the yankees. jacoby ellsbury left the yard in a hurry. red sox win it 5-2. tampa is falling fast. they're 5.5 back. that's your first look at sports. i'm fred rogan. we check in with dylan dreyer watching the forecast. >> where it's cooler, you won't see sunshine. don't be discouraged in minneapolis where it's 44 degrees. we did have frost and freeze warnings earlier this morning. you'll see sunshine and temperatures back into the 60s. this is all the rain we're watching as we head into this afternoon. right now, it is producing some heavier thunderstorms with frequent lightning across the

panhandle of florida. this is going to stretch eastward as we head into this afternoon and there is the potential for some severe weather later today with frequent cloud to ground lightning. wind gusts up to 40 to 50 miles per hour. we could get reports of isolated tornadoes. something we'll keep an eye on later on today. tomorrow morning, we'll start off with rain but then see increasing sunshine while the rest of the country enjoys that sunshine through the rest of the week. >> dylan, thank so much. coming up, lady gaga takes floral arranging to a new level. the way only lady gaga can do. never one to mince words, he weighs in on kate middleton's topless photo scandal. your first look at entertainment is straight ahead. you're watching "first look" on msnbc. everyone tells a little white lie now and then. but now she wants my recipe [ clears his throat ] [ softly ] she's right behind me isn't she? [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup. nah.

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the major tv news. it was just announced that nicki minaj and keith urban will join randy jackson and mariah carey as judges on "american idol." at this point, "american idol" has seen more judges than amanda bynes. lindsay sent her flowers. thank her. thank her. tonight, jimmy welcomes actor john cryer, actress henson and musical guest nelly furtado. weeknights at 12:35, 11:35 central time on your local nbc station. it's time for a first look at entertainment news. today a french court will announce whether or not it will enforce an injunction against a french magazine to prevent any further publications of those topless photos of kate middleton

sunbathing. lawyers for prince william and kate are arguing they're an invasion of privacy. yesterday an italian gossip magazine released a special edition dedicated completely to the pictures. meanwhile, guess who is chiming in on this one? shocker here. donald trump. he says kate middleton has only herself to blame for the scandal. the donald tweeted she's great but she shouldn't be sunbathing in the nude. nbc has announced r&b star usher and colombian singer shakira will replace christina aguilera and cee-lo green on the joyce. dylan's favorite. to free them up for other projects. lady gaga stole the show at fashion week with her own fashion choice. we use that in quotations. it was a floral head piece that showed only a small portion of her face. looks like a teletubby outfit. i get she wants the attention. >> and she gets it. the floral beard, not my

favorite thing. >> that's what i was looking for. what does this look like? a floral beard. yes. we always have to quote fashion when we do stories on laid guy g gaga. way too early with willie geist starts right now. mitt romney holds a hasty press conference to explain the videotape released on monday showing him at a private fundraiser seeming to write off half the country as dependent obama voters who won't care for themselves. the question is how bad is the fallout from the tape? we'll talk live to john highly man. after a week of attacks against nato forces, a remarkable suspension of joint operations between the united states and our supposed partners in afghanist afghanistan. what does the breakdown in that relationship mean for the future in the